Swiatek out of Ningbo Open with thigh injury, loses last chance to make WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open with a left thigh injury, ending her last chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals, the tournament said on Tuesday 20 October, ARY News reported from an AFP report. The six-time Grand Slam champion was ninth in the race to the eight-player finals and needed points at this week's WTA 500 event in China to catch Karolina Muchova.

"After careful consideration, I've decided to withdraw from the tournament," the 25-year-old Pole said in a statement released by the organisers. "I've been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel that giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision."

Why Ningbo mattered

The race for the last place at the WTA Finals was down to three players before this week:

With Swiatek out and Muchova not entered, Kostyuk is the only one of the three who can still add points this week. Business Recorder reported that the withdrawal removes Swiatek's last chance to qualify. This season's WTA Finals are at Indian Wells from 8 to 15 November, which is the night of 8 November onwards in Pakistan.

The same injury as Wuhan

Swiatek played through the thigh problem last week in Wuhan, where she lost her semi-final to her compatriot Maja Chwalinska, who went on to win the title. We covered that defeat here. Earlier in the same tournament she had beaten Ashlyn Krueger for her 150th WTA 1000 win.

Russia's Anastasia Zakharova takes her place in the Ningbo draw.

What it means

Missing the finals would be a setback for a former world number one. Her decision to rest also suggests she is looking ahead to the 2027 season, which starts in Australia in January. Results from the rest of the tennis week, and every other sport Pakistanis follow, are on our sports desk.